To secretly envy outdoorsy families

[Purplefoxes]

I envy outdoorsy families. They look like they have so much fun together and just make it all look so easy. Our family on the other hand, we are a bunch of wimpy townies!..DH does not like any sport (I've tried!) Or most activities which involve breaking a sweat, DS1 6YO is into gaming (not through my choice) and whines for screens regularly and DS2 is only 4 months old. We just went on a Easter break in Cornwall, got wetsuits and thought we'd give body boarding a go with DS1... 15 minutes in the shallows, 9 degree water and we were out again shivering and begging for hot chocolate, DH laughing on the beach with DS2 🤣 not quite what I envisaged but probably shouldn't be surprised given the weather and the temperatures! Should I give up and assume it's just not in us, we are just not hardy folk or should we keep trying, can we change? Love the idea of wild swimming, coastal and mountain walks, camping under the stars. But the reality of lashing rain, mud and sand in unmentionable places, endless washing, dodgy loos, whinging kids etc etc is holding me back. Wise mumsnetters, is there a trick to being more outdoorsy, how do you make it more bearable?

Kids do swimming 2 or 3 times a week, and we do maybe 1 long walk every couple of weeks at a push (2 hours to the next town and back) , I am not very outdoorsy, I occasionally help in the garden but not very often...if he is working on the land someone has to keep the house running...🤣 Cooking and baking (we eat a lot and mostly fresh), and obviously laundry, cleaning etc...

How old are your kids and how many?

and a 4 hour round trip walk if your not an outdoorsy family is quite substantial! Why not just a stroll but more regularly? Buildup

if he is working on the land someone has to keep the house running...🤣 Cooking and baking (we eat a lot and mostly fresh), and obviously laundry, cleaning etc...
on come on! 😂

I would say my family are fairly outdoorsy. We camp, hike, cook outdoors, paddleboard/kayak, have an allotment and go fishing. I like running too. Its cheaper than organised activities when you have the kit. My kids do beavers and cubs too. My youngest has LD, and is outdoorsy, but you can't do an activity with him as he doesn't have the concentration, he just enjoys the outdoors and freedom, which is fine enough if he is happy.

I swim in pretty cold seas, but only between April and October, mainly due to it being rainy and the water companies nonchalantly using rain as an excuse for sewage dumping. My other son hates the cold, but I would still say he loves the outdoors. He is also massively into gaming too though!

I would start small as other have said. Just trips to beach or forest, crabbing is pretty easy. A lot of beaches you can hire pedalos, so all you have to do is pedal, but it's fun. The national trust has loads of ideas for kids. They have a little book out, but it's more for younger kids.

Some kids just aren't sporty, but some activities like orienteering you can do at your own pace and be quite comfortable while doing it. I hate heights, so would never do anything of that sort, but would still say I'm outdoorsy. It's not always about doing full on activities that require a lot of bravery and skill, just more enjoying the environment.

Just wanted to say an extremely belated thank you to everyone who replied on here. I was totally overwhelmed with the responses and gave up trying to respond individually to everyone. I've seen some fantastic ideas and things I would never have thought of. Also realised I need to change my expectations a bit on what is possible and plan more or utilise other event/holiday organisations who do the planning for you! I hope this thread will stay and help others in the same predicament. Thank you again mumsnetters you are awesome, outdoorsy or not! 👍😀

I get what you mean. We all love the beach and DC adore scooters but beyond that we are not outdoorsy. My kids love a charity shop rummage and a hot chocolate and I do look at other families who are going for long rambles and wonder if I’m parenting wrong but I’ve recently just started to relax about it. My children when they choose what they want to do would want shops, playgrounds, going for a hot chocolate and they love if they get to eat at the local pub. We go with their interests and try and slip in something different but I’m not going to force them to be outdoorsy when they have no interest. They’d much rather be playing with Lego or playing in the garden than going on long walks!

It isn’t too cold for sea swimming! My 3 kids and DW were in the sea no problem in the Easter break, and only one of them was in a wetsuit!

Placemarking as I'm jealous too!

Placemarking, I'm jealous too. My dc have been doing parkrun (2km) for the past couple of years, gets them out early on a Sunday morning. Cycling, swimming (lesson once a week) & playground are our usual sporty pursuits. Would like more though & I envy sporty families!

Just coming on to add we did a fab family 5 day break with the Field Studies Council this holiday. Hostel style (basic but comfy) accommodation, all meals cooked and morning until evening nature activities (bat detecting, nature art, den building, map reading, pond dipping, campfires, that sort of thing). And other parents and an instructor to take the pressure off and provide motivation for kids to join in. Really good for ages about 6-10. The FSC do a lot of stuff in urban parks as well- they're doing John Muir in our local one over the holidays for example.

I'm really outdoorsy and so is DD9, but DH and DD6 are less so (although they both cycle a lot). So I often feel like I'm shoving everyone out but it's worth it. I like cold water swimming but in april I'm still in my winter wetsuit, gloves and boots!